System, Control Method, and Non-Transitory Recording Medium

This patent application is based on and claims priority pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) to Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-076558, filed on May 9, 2024, in the Japan Patent Office, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

The present disclosure relates to a system, a control method, and a non-transitory recording medium.

Apparatuses such as image forming apparatuses have the function of transitioning to power-saving mode when the time during which the apparatuses are not in use exceeds a predetermined time. The predetermined time is referred to as a power-saving mode transition time. The image forming apparatuses transition to power-saving mode when the power-saving mode transition time elapses after the completion of the apparatus operation such as printing. Thus, the image forming apparatuses reduce power consumption.

Some techniques have been proposed to optimize the power-saving mode transition time.

The present disclosure described herein provides a system including an information processing apparatus and an apparatus to communicate with the information processing apparatus through a network. The information processing apparatus includes circuitry that inputs user information on an individual user on a day on which a usage frequency of the apparatus by the user is to be inferred into a usage frequency model that has learned a correspondence between the user information and the usage frequency of the apparatus, to infer the usage frequency of the apparatus on the day and determines a power-saving mode transition time based on the inferred usage frequency of the apparatus. The apparatus includes another circuitry that transitions to a power-saving mode when a time during which the apparatus is not used exceeds the power-saving mode transition time acquired from the information processing apparatus.

The present disclosure described herein provides a control method including inputting and determining. The inputting includes inputting user information on an individual user on a day on which a usage frequency of an apparatus by the user is to be inferred into a usage frequency model that has learned a correspondence between the user information and the usage frequency of the apparatus, to infer the usage frequency of the apparatus on the day. The apparatus communicates with an information processing apparatus through a network. The determining includes determining a power-saving mode transition time based on the inferred usage frequency of the apparatus. The apparatus transitions to a power-saving mode when a time during which the apparatus is not used exceeds the power-saving mode transition time acquired from the information processing apparatus.

The present disclosure described herein provides a non-transitory recording medium storing a plurality of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors of an information processing apparatus, causes the one or more processors to perform a method. The method includes inputting and determining. The inputting includes inputting user information on an individual user on a day on which a usage frequency of an apparatus by the user is to be inferred into a usage frequency model that has learned a correspondence between the user information and the usage frequency of the apparatus, to infer the usage frequency of the apparatus on the day. The apparatus communicates with the information processing apparatus through a network. The determining includes determining a power-saving mode transition time based on the inferred usage frequency of the apparatus. The apparatus transitions to a power-saving mode when a time during which the apparatus is not used exceeds the power-saving mode transition time acquired from the information processing apparatus.

The accompanying drawings are intended to depict embodiments of the present disclosure and should not be interpreted to limit the scope thereof. The accompanying drawings are not to be considered as drawn to scale unless explicitly noted. Also, identical or similar reference numerals designate identical or similar components throughout the several views.

In describing embodiments illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology is employed for the sake of clarity. However, the disclosure of this specification is not intended to be limited to the specific terminology so selected and it is to be understood that each specific element includes all technical equivalents that have a similar function, operate in a similar manner, and achieve a similar result.

Referring now to the drawings, embodiments of the present disclosure are described below.

As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The term “connected/coupled” includes both direct connections and connections in which there are one or more intermediate connecting elements.

For the sake of simplicity, identical or similar reference numerals denote identical or similar elements such as parts and materials having the same functions, and redundant descriptions thereof are omitted unless otherwise required.

An apparatus and a control method performed by the apparatus are described below.

The power consumption is reduced by learning the operating status of an image forming apparatus and optimizing the time it takes for the image forming apparatus to transition to power-saving mode, which may be referred to as a power-saving mode transition time in the following description. When typical image forming apparatuses are in power-saving mode during non-operation, power consumption can be reduced. The longer the image forming apparatuses remain in power-saving mode, the greater the reduction in power consumption. By shortening the power-saving mode transition time, the image forming apparatuses can quickly transition to power-saving mode and increase the time for maintaining power-saving mode accordingly, which is effective in reducing power consumption.

However, returning from power-saving mode needs a larger amount of start-up power than in standby state in which the functions of the image forming apparatuses can be used. For this reason, in a situation where the users frequently use the image forming apparatuses, the power consumption can be more easily reduced by keeping the image forming apparatuses in standby state than by transitioning the image forming apparatuses to power-saving mode.

Thus, controlling whether to transition to power-saving mode according to the operating status is effective in reducing the overall power consumption. The operating status is the operating frequency. The power-saving mode transition time is optimized according to the operating frequency. For example, in typical control, the power-saving mode transition time is shortened during periods of low operating frequency whereas the power-saving mode transition time is lengthened (the standby state is maintained) during periods of high operating frequency so as not to cause start-up power when returning from the power-saving mode.

For example, according to a comparative example, the power-saving mode transition time is set based on the operating status of an image forming apparatus for each day of the week. However, in this example, the usage frequency for each day of the week and per hour is used for optimization on the assumption that almost all employees are at the office or that a predetermined number or more of employees are at the office. In the following description, data on the operating frequency when all employees or a predetermined number or more of employees are at the office or workplace is referred to as “group data.”

On the other hand, in companies that utilize remote work in a large amount, which has become active in recent years, individuals can decide whether to work at the office or remotely and it is difficult to appropriately optimize the power-saving mode transition time on the assumption that a predetermined number or more of employees are at the office. This is described below with reference to the drawings.

illustrates data on operating frequency for each day of the week and per hour when almost all employees are at the office (or when a predetermined number or more of employees are at the office). The usage frequency is the frequency at which a single user uses an image forming apparatus. The operating frequency is the frequency at which the image forming apparatus operates. Even when the usage frequency of each user is low, the operating frequency may increase when many users are at the office.

The operating frequency or the usage frequency is classified into four stages such as unused, low frequency, moderate frequency, and high frequency in ascending order. During periods of unused, which refer to the times when the image forming apparatus is not in use, the image forming apparatus remains in power-saving mode for a longer duration by shortening the power-saving mode transition time. Thus, the power consumption can be reduced most. During periods of high frequency, which refer to the times when the image forming apparatus operates at a high frequency, the image forming apparatus is used immediately after transitioning to the power-saving mode. For this reason, the power-saving mode transition time is set to be long, and the power consumption is the highest.

As described above, typically, the power-saving mode transition time is determined based on the operating frequency (in other words, group data) of all employees, instead of individual employees, for each day of the week and each hour. In a situation where all employees are at the office almost every day before remote work becomes widespread and group data indicate similar tendencies, the operating frequency is similar on the same day every week. Therefore, it is effective to optimize the power-saving mode transition time based on the group data and reduce the power consumption.

However, in a remote work environment, which refers to an environment where remote work is permitted, individuals can decide whether to work at the office or remotely. Therefore, similar group data is not acquired on the same day every week. A description is given below with reference to.

is a diagram illustrating the operating frequency when a certain percentage or more of employees are at the office in a remote work environment. The certain percentage is, for example, 80% or more of all the employees. The operating frequency when 80% or more of the employees are at the office may be substantially constant regardless of the day of the week or the time, although there may be errors. For the sake of description, the employees are classified into Types A to D from the viewpoint of the usage frequency in the following description. Types A to D are kept during working hours regardless of time.

In, since Type A employees do not use the image forming apparatus, the usage frequency is “unused.” Type B employees use the image forming apparatus at a low frequency. Type C employees use the image forming apparatus at a moderate frequency. Type D employees use the image forming apparatus at a high frequency.

For the sake of simplicity, the number of employees in each type (A, B, C, and D) is equal. For example, the number of Type A employees is 10, the number of Type B employees is 10, the number of Type C employees is 10, and the number of Type D employees is 10. The group data indicates a total value of Types A, B, C, and D employees. In, an average is taken, and the operating frequency of the group data is defined as a moderate frequency. The following description is based on this assumption.

In a remote work environment, a certain number or more of employees (for example, 80% or more of all employees) are not always at the office. The number of employees may be, for example, 50% or 60% depending on the day. In this case, the reduction in the number of usage frequencies of the group data typically makes it difficult to optimize the power-saving mode transition time. In other words, the power-saving mode transition time optimized based on the group data may not reduce total power consumption.

As illustrated in, there may be a situation where only Type B employees who use the image forming apparatus at a low frequency are at the office.illustrates the operating frequency of the image forming apparatus when only Type B employees among all the employees are at the office. The usage frequency of Type B employees is low, and the total usage frequency (operating frequency) is also low. However, typically, the group data in a case where a certain number or more of employees, such as 80% of the employees, are at the office is used, and the operating frequency is moderate. Applying the power-saving mode transition time optimized based on the group data of the moderate frequency to a situation where only the employees who use the image forming apparatus at a low frequency are at the office makes it difficult to reduce the total power consumption.

is a diagram illustrating a difference between power consumption according to a comparative example and ideal power consumption when only Type B employees are at the office. In, the horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents power consumption. A dotted lineindicates power consumption according to the comparative example. A solid lineindicates ideal power consumption. The ideal power consumption is power consumption in the case of the power-saving mode transition time described in the present embodiment. A longer power-saving mode transition time increases power consumption. In other words, when the operating frequency is low, the power-saving mode transition time may be short, and the ideal power consumption is the sum of the solid lines. However, according to the comparative example, the power-saving mode transition time is determined based on the group data in a case where 80% or more of the employees are at the office, failing to cope with the individual attendance status, which refers to the status of employees coming to the office or workplace. The power-saving mode transition time is optimized for the moderate frequency and the power-saving mode transition time is also medium. Therefore, the power consumption is also medium. As described above, even in a situation where the power consumption can be ideally reduced, the power consumption is typically medium and cannot be reduced in some cases.

Another typical situation where reduction in power consumption fails is described below with reference to.illustrates the usage frequency of the image forming apparatus when only Type D employees are at the office. Even when only a small number of employees, not a predetermined number of employees, are at the office, the operating frequency is high when only employees who use the image forming apparatus at a high frequency are at the office. Although the operating frequency of the image forming apparatus is high, the operating frequency is moderate in the comparative example because the group data in a case where a certain number of employees, such as 80%, are at the office is used. Applying the power-saving mode transition time optimized based on the group data of the moderate frequency to a situation where the employees who use the image forming apparatus at a high frequency are at the office makes it difficult to reduce the total power consumption.

is a diagram illustrating a difference in power consumption when the actual operating frequency is high in a case where the power-saving mode transition time is set to be medium according to a comparative example. The horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents power consumption. A dotted lineindicates power consumption according to the comparative example. A solid lineindicates actual power consumption. When the operating frequency is high, the image forming apparatus is continuously used. Therefore, even when the image forming apparatus transitions to power-saving mode, the image forming apparatus needs to immediately return and consume the start-up power. As illustrated in, even when the image forming apparatus is about to transition to power-saving mode, the start-up power (peak of the solid line) occurs. Since the start-up power of the image forming apparatus is large, the start-up power may cause extra power consumption.

illustrates a difference between power consumption when the actual operating frequency is high and ideal power consumption when the operating frequency is high in a case where the power-saving mode transition time is set to be medium according to a comparative example. A dotted lineindicates ideal power consumption when the operating frequency is high. A solid lineindicates power consumption when the power-saving mode transition time is set to be medium and the actual operation frequency is high. As indicated by the solid line, the start-up power increases the power consumption. As indicated by the dotted line, the power consumption is relatively low when the operating frequency is high and the image forming apparatus is kept in standby state without transitioning to power-saving mode.

As described above, in an environment such as a remote work environment where the individuals can decide whether to work at the office or remotely, the group data is completely different depending on the day of the week or the time. Therefore, optimizing the power-saving mode transition time based on the group data fails to cope with this situation and makes it difficult to reduce power consumption.

Using artificial intelligence (AI) technology to learn the relationships between the typical group data and the operating frequency can enable accurate updates to usage frequency for each day of the week and each hour illustrated in. However, in a situation where individuals can decide whether to work at the office or remotely, such as in a remote work environment, the tendency of the group data changes day by day, and therefore, the power-saving mode transition time set based on the group data may fail to reduce power consumption as appropriate.

Therefore, the method simply using AI to learn the group data fails to address unfavorable situations.

According to the present embodiment, the image forming apparatus learns the usage frequency using AI based on individual employee information instead of the group data to optimize the power-saving mode transition time and reduce the overall power consumption even in a remote work environment.

The total power consumption is the sum of the reduction in power consumption for the transition to power-saving mode and the power consumption for the return from the power-saving mode. In other words, the total power consumption is the overall power consumption of the image forming apparatus.

The individual employee information is information on a single employee and is information on whether to use the image forming apparatus. The individual employee information does not include, for example, the date of birth of the employee. For example, the individual employee information includes the attendance status and meeting start time.

The usage frequency refers to how many times the image forming apparatus is used in a unit time. The unit time is not limited to one hour and may be a minute, two hours, a half day, or a day.

The power-saving mode transition time is a time during which it is determined that the image forming apparatus is determined to transition to power-saving mode because the image forming apparatus is not in use. In power-saving mode, power consumption is smaller than that in standby state. The power-saving mode may further include multiple states with different power consumption.

is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an apparatus system. The apparatus systemincludes an image forming apparatus, a machine learning server, a data server, and a general-purpose computer. These apparatuses are connected through a network N such as a local area network (LAN) and can communicate with each other. The general-purpose computermay be connected to the network N as necessary and may not necessarily be included in the apparatus system.

The network connecting these components may be wired or wireless. The machine learning serverand the data servermay be on the cloud or on-premises. In a case where the machine learning serverand the data serverare on the cloud, the machine learning serverand the data servermay be connected to the image forming apparatusthrough a wide-area network such as the Internet and can communicate with the image forming apparatus.

The image forming apparatusis an example of an apparatus that transitions to power-saving mode. The image forming apparatusis an apparatus that forms an image on a recording medium such as a sheet of paper. The image forming apparatusmay be referred to as, for example, a printer, a copier, a multifunction peripheral (M FP), a printing apparatus, or a facsimile machine.

The apparatus may be, for example, an interactive whiteboard or digital blackboard, a projector, a video conference terminal, digital signage, a drone, a robot, a telephone, a television receiver, a game console, a general-purpose individual computer (PC), a monitoring camera, or industrial equipment having a communication function, instead of the image forming apparatus. Examples of industrial equipment include medical equipment and agricultural equipment such as a cultivator.

The machine learning servergenerates a usage frequency model for inferring the usage frequency for each period by performing machine learning on individual employee information. In other words, the machine learning serveris equipped with an AI function. The machine learning servergenerates a usage frequency model for implementing the AI function. The machine learning servercan generate a usage frequency modelby performing machine learning using a part or all of the learning data acquired from the data server.

The machine learning servermay be a general-purpose information processing apparatus instead of a server. The data serveracquires learning data used for machine learning in the machine learning serverfrom, for example, the general-purpose computer, the image forming apparatus, or the schedule management server.

The learning data, which is described in detail later, includes a printing time of the image forming apparatusfor each employee, individual employee information, and meeting schedules indicating meeting start time. The data servercollects learning data and provides the learning data to the machine learning server.

The general-purpose computeris, for example, a user terminal and transmits print data to the image forming apparatus. The data servermay acquire, for example, individual employee information from the general-purpose computer.

The image forming apparatusacquires the power-saving mode transition time for each period generated by the machine learning serverat any time.

The data serverand the machine learning serverare present outside the image forming apparatus. Alternatively, the image forming apparatusmay have the functions of the data serverand the machine learning server.

A hardware configuration of the image forming apparatusincluded in the apparatus systemis described below with reference to.is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus. As illustrated in, the image forming apparatusincludes a controller, a short-range communication circuit, an engine controller, a control panel, and a network interface (I/F).